Burchette’s leadership lends
to Mountaineer offense, defense cohesion
Allie
Woods Sports Beat
Josh Brown | Chief Photographer
Quarterback Joe Burchette connects
with freshman tight end Daniel Bettis(80) in the end zone, scoring
the first of 54 points against VMI.
The 27-yard pass from senior quarterback
Joe Burchette to senior wide receiver Sterling Hayward on the first
play of the game was a sign of things to come.
Three plays later, the Mountaineers put the first
of their 54 points on the board. Burchette found freshman tight
end Daniel Bettis in the back of the end zone for his third touchdown
of the season.
“This is the first game we’ve really
played as a team on offense and defense,” Burchette said. “It’s
great to know we can do this.”
The Appalachian State University defense also
gave a stellar performance. ASU only ran three more plays than the
Keydets, and the defense only allowed 150 total yards.
“As a defense going into this game we thought
we had a pretty good game plan against them,” said senior defensive
end Josh Jeffries. “Our linebackers and secondary played awesome.
I think we had two interceptions in the secondary and up front I
know we didn’t have many sacks and stuff but just putting pressure
on him helped a lot.”
The story of the day
was the offense. Tallying nearly 600 yards and scoring 54 points
gave everyone a chance to share in the wealth. In the second quarter,
a touchdown pass from Burchette to senior receiver Andrew Layton
made Burchette the all-time leader in touchdown passes at Appalachian,
moving him past Pat Murphy, who had 46.
“That’s the one I’ve always really wanted,”
Burchette said. “It’s good to have all the guys and be
on senior day.”
If this were not enough, Burchette added two more touchdown passes
in the second quarter to give the Mountaineers a 37-6 lead at halftime.
The second half saw freshman quarterback Richie Williams take most
of the snaps. Williams was most effective on the ground as he ran
for two touchdowns. His 137 yards was the most for a quarterback
since 1995, when Gerard Hardy gained 160 yards.
“It’s fun to watch him play,” said head coach Jerry
Moore. “He’s a lot better quarterback, he knows more about
what to do now than he did against Marshall or against Liberty.”
This victory marked the last home game in the career of 21 ASU seniors.
Next Saturday the Mountaineers will travel to Cullowhee to take
on their biggest rival, the Catamounts of Western Carolina University.
This game means more than meets the eye. Not only are the Mountaineers
looking to end their conference schedule on a high note and impress
the playoff selection committee, but they will also try to retain
the Old Mountain Jug with a win over the Catamounts.
“Today we played like a top 10 team,” Burchette said.
“It’s great to come out and get a victory like that and
help us get ready for the Western game.”
Game time is 3:30 p.m., and the game will be televised on Fox Sports
Net South.
